Tensions with India appear to be de-escalating: Pakistan

Islamabad, March 6 (IANS) Tensions between India and Pakistan appear to be de-escalating, Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi said on Wednesday as he thanked the US for playing a role in defusing the crisis through "private diplomacy".

"Tensions between India and Pakistan appear to be de-escalating and this is a positive development," Qureshi told the media here.

"Pakistan has further increased diplomatic efforts and we have decided to send back the Pakistan High Commissioner to New Delhi," he said, adding that a Pakistani delegation will visit New Delhi to hold dialogue over the Kartarpur Corridor.

Qureshi thanked US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo for "his role in the current situation with India", Geo News reported.

"I did not want to say it but private diplomacy worked. The US through private diplomacy played a role in de-escalating tensions between Pakistan and India," he stated.

The Minister said Foreign Ministers of China, Russia, Turkey, the UAE and Jordan also played a significant role in reducing tensions between the two neighbours.

He also hailed Islamabad's ties with Beijing.

"The close relationship between Pakistan and China is a positive factor for the political stability of the region. Together we are successfully countering forces opposed to regional peace and harmony," he said while addressing a conference on the start of the next phase of China Pakistan Economic Corridor at Institute of Strategic Studies Islamabad.

Qureshi said that the Chinese leadership presented "a sound advice for India and Pakistan to engage in a dialogue and resolve their disputes" after their ties worsened following the Jammu and Kashmir suicide bombing on February 14 that killed 40 CRPF troopers.

India then bombed the biggest training camp of the Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) terror group that had claiming responsibility for the killings.